


show me, don't tell

by Rosyredlipstick



Series: oh, this is love, isn't it? [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Kid Fic, Light Angst, Snapshots, and fall in love along the way, co parent au, loving and supportive relationships, thalia and bianca have custody of their little brothers and co parent them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 12:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12299661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosyredlipstick/pseuds/Rosyredlipstick
Summary: I ask you my darling, I beg you,to show me, don’t tellhow much you love me.-Sometimes a family is a recently orphaned teenage girl, her nerdy little brother, a punk part-time masseuse hardly old enough to buy cheap beer, and her ten year old brother with a taste for staplers.There’s more, of course. There always is to things as complicated as a family.





	show me, don't tell

**Author's Note:**

> [based on cinderarts amazing co parent au that i love so much](http://cindersart.tumblr.com/tagged/thalianca%20co%20mom%20au)

_I ask you my darling, I beg you,_

_to show me, don’t tell_

_how much you love me._

* * *

Sometimes a family is a barely legal recently orphaned teenage girl, her nerdy broody little brother, a punk young adult hardly old enough to buy cheap beer, and her ten year old brother with a taste for staplers.

There’s more, of course. There always is to things as complicated as a family.

* * *

It was decided, as most completely rash and unthought out decisions were, over a mostly-empty bottle of whiskey.

The good stuff, Thalia had broken out for the occasion, left behind from her mom’s expensive stash. Bianca had...deserved that, at the very least.

It was decided that night, huddled over the coffee table in Thalia’s shitty apartment, but it began with this -

“I don’t know what we’re going to do.” Bianca was wide-eyed, staring at the table. She had stopped crying after her second drink. The silence, with only their melting ice cubes clinking in their glasses, was infinitely worse.  

“Nico barely understands what’s happening. I mean, I hardly understand either, but I mean -” Bianca buried her face in her face, bringing up her knees to press her forehead against. Thalia’s chest ached at the sight. She was always awful at comforting people when they were crying, the sole exception being Jason and the cure, at least most the time, being cheap lollipops and superhero band-aids.

Bianca continued, her voice a whisper, “I don’t know what I’m going to do. About the apartment, and rent, and - and I’m in _school_ still. I’ve just barely graduated high school, and I don’t - I have no idea what I’m gonna do.”

Thalia didn’t either. And it killed her.

These were the facts:

Yesterday morning, Maria di Angelo, on her way to her early shift at the hospital downtown, was hit head-on at a stop light.

The crash, while not initially horrible, proved terminal to Maria from her lack of seatbelt. After colliding in the windshield, she laid in the asphalt for seven minutes before the ambulance arrived and rushed her off to the hospital. Despite doctor’s efforts, the trauma was too great, and Maria di Angelo was dead by noon, leaving behind an nineteen year old daughter and a nine year old son still asleep in their shared apartment bedroom.

Twelve hours later, after a numbing phone call, after a stiff and hurried hospital visit, said eighteen year old daughter was currently staring blankly at Thalia’s apartment wall, her glass tipped towards her lips.

Thalia glanced over to her ratty couch where Nico was curled into a ball. They had managed to get the kid to stop sobbing around eleven, when he had eventually hiccuped himself to sleep. Thalia had draped one of Jason’s old comforters over him and it seemed to only made him look smaller. Jason - thank the gods - already had a sleepover planned for the night, leaving the apartment quiet and still.

A bubble grew in her throat. She swallowed her, her eyes snapping back to the other girl.

“You’ll stay here.” Thalia decided as the words left her mouth. She kept her gaze steady as Bianca’s surprised eyes flickered over to hers. “It’ll be tight, and it’s not exactly the nicest place around, but it’s a roof. You can’t afford your old place on your own, and Maria wouldn’t want you guys to fork over her life insurance to your shitty landlord. Save it for school.” Thalia swallowed, taking a swing of the watered down whiskey. “There’s space for you two here, if you want it.”

Bianca’s mouth was open as she blinked in surprise. “I...we can’t -”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t completely serious.” Thalia told her with solid fact, as if she didn’t just make up her mind literal seconds ago. “Nico can share Jason’s room, and we can share mine.”

“I -” Bianca was speechless. Thalia looked over at the older girl, smoothing back Bianca’s frizzy braid, “It wouldn’t be a problem, B. Just think it over.” She met Bianca’s gaze only for the other girl’s eyes to flicker away nervously. “Just think about it.”

* * *

She’s known Bianca since she was fifteen, her freshman year.

Jason and Nico had gone to the same elementary and middle school - two grades separate - but Thalia first noticed the other girl as the only other teenager waiting in line for pick up in a crowd of young parents, looking as hurried as Thalia felt from her sprint from the high school.

Slowly, they had drifted towards each other. First waiting together, perched on the same bench but each doing their own thing, and then tentative conversation. About the elementary school’s eyeroll inducing policies, the upcoming student-parent conferences they both weren’t looking forward to attending, sometimes even occasionally their own problems from classes and friends, lacking or busy parents. And even more slowly, the sleepovers - for both of their siblings, as Jason and Nico were nearly inseparable even in those days - but also the girl talks, the shared rants, their laughter echoing off cracked plaster walls.

It was nice, having that.

She’d known Bianca for five years now, and she had been half in love with the other girl for closer to three.

Maybe that’s why the next morning after a night with so little sleep, when she was sitting on the couch smoothing back Nico’s hair from his face, Thalia wasn’t too surprised to hear a soft, _okay._

It would be, eventually.

* * *

“You know Bianca and Nico?”

Jason nodded, a bit of dark sauce trailing down his lip. She gestured for him to lift his chin so she could wipe at it, and he waited patiently as she cleaned it off.

She tossed the wrinkled napkin towards the trashcan, suddenly wishing there was something she could do to distract her hands. She began ripping apart her eggroll. “You like them, right?”

Jason nodded happily, his mouth still full with noodles. “Nico’s good at Minecraft. And Bianca makes good food.”

Thalia could agree with that. Bianca was a lot more talented in the kitchen than Thalia’s hand at spaghetti-os and lean cuisines could ever be. Or, glancing down to the plate in front of her, her own take-out producing skills.

Thalia bit her lip, pushing her sauteed vegetables side to side as she thought, Jason a patient, curious presence across from her. Finally, she took a deep breath, and attempted to keep her voice even.

“They’re going to be staying with us for a while, bud.” The _if that’s okay with you_ went unspoken. She held her breath, glancing down at her plate, and gripped at her fork. Honestly, Thalia had no idea what she would do if Jason said _no, actually it’s not, sorry!_ Respect his wishes, obviously, but everything else? No idea.

There was a beat of silence, the boy chewing thoughtfully through his food. After a moment, he shrugged.

“Cool,” Jason only said. He lit up after a moment, “Does that mean Nico can stay in _my_ room? Oh, _please_ Thalia? We’ll go to bed on time and everything!” His eyes went big and excited, “It’ll be like a sleepover every night!”

Thalia had to swallow the lump in her throat. “Sure, bud.” Her voice was raspy, her eyes red. Somehow, her heart seemed to push more love in itself for this boy everyday. It was a damn near scientific miracle. “Finish your food.”

Bianca and Nico moved in on a cloudy day a handful of days later, right before the month was up and their landlord kicked them out, four days after their mother’s funeral. Thalia had spend the majority of the day before cleaning - not a first but definitely a rare occasion - and helping Jason clear a side of the now-shared room.

Thalia would have done the same except, after years of sleepovers and visits and crashing at each other’s place, her room was almost in a shared situation already. The right of the bed already had Bianca’s extra phone charger plugged in nearby, the bedside table already equipped with the other girl’s favorite lotion and spare glasses, her clothes scattered about Thalia’s closet in equal amount to her own.

It was a quiet move in, Nico’s face drawn close even as Jason dragged him off, Bianca’s eyes fluttering as she stared down at their few boxes stacked in the living room. There weren’t many.

“I…” Bianca blinked, her eyes watery, and even the single syllable wavered with emotion. She began to shake, her bag dropping to the floor, and Thalia didn’t hesitate to rush up to her.

“We’re in this together,” Thalia told her seriously, her arms squeezing tightly. “You’re not alone, I’m with you every step of the way.”

Bianca sobbed against her shoulder, burying her face in her hair, holding on just as tight.

It would take time.

The other girl crumbled to the floor, her hands still twisted in Thalia’s shirt, bringing the other girl down with her.

“It’s okay,” Thalia rubbed at her back, at a loss. “It’s - it’s okay.”

They would get there. Lots of trial and error, an emotional argument over take out and groceries that they both knew wasn't about food, crying sessions on their bed, quiet dinners for everyone. They were a work in progress, and a messy one. 

It took a while for anything resembling a pattern to appear in their lives. Something heavily recommended by the parents books Bianca had checked out from the library that they were making a valiant attempt at. School, at least, helped with that.   
  
“Hey kiddos,” Thalia ruffled Jason’s short, cropped hair, smiling down at the other boy. Nico, hesitantly, gave her a small wave back. An improvement.

She waved at one of the teachers leading pick up, Nico’s small hand easily slipping into hers, quietly staring ahead. He had gotten quiet since the accident, and it worried Bianca to tears nearly every day. And, if she was being honest, Thalia was almost at that point too.

They began walking the way Thalia had come, a short twenty minute walk. She would have much rathered to simply drive back and forth - her feet always hurt like hell after a long shift despite her sneaker gel inserts - but Nico got twitchy in cars, and the air always helped calm Jason down after an exciting afternoon. And the sun was good for them all, so that was always a perk.

Thalia was in charge of pick up these days, after Bianca had frantically rearranged her school schedule to condense on four days of the week, leaving the rest open for her long shifts at the diner. It had worked out fine in the end, after pouring over their shared schedules for hours at the kitchen table. Bianca dropped them off at school before the breakfast rush, Thalia picked them up after her shift at the massage parlor downtown, Bianca would hit her classes in the afternoon and be home for dinner and homework. Thalia made lunches and looked over worksheets, cleaned the kitchen, and attempted dinner. Bianca made breakfast, helped with projects, and lead the nighttime rituals. They were attempting a healthy routine here, something neither of them had ever really had.

Nico pulled on the end of her scrubs, his eyes big and dark the way only a kid could pull off. Thalia paused, looking down at him.

“It’s the last Wednesday of the month,” Nico’s voice was quiet, shy. Thalia bend down to listen better. “I checked.”

She waited but Nico seemed to be finished. “It is,” she allowed him, giving him a curious look. “Is something special happening today?”

Nico’s rubbed his sneaker into the concrete. Jason, watching them, made an encouraging sound. He was good like that. “It’s Wednesday,” he repeated, his voice still that low, quiet tone. “Mom...mom used to take me for candy on the last Wednesday.” His eyes flickered away, suddenly nervous. “Can we...can we go?”

Thalia blinked a few times, caught off guard. “I….” She thought vaguely of the few crumpled bills in her wallet, and Nico’s wide, open, earnest eyes. She was nodding before she even truly processed it.

Jason jumped up in excitement, catching the conversation. “We’re going to the candy store!”

Nico gave him a small smile, just barely there. Thalia counted that as a win, and let the other boy slip his hand into hers.

She had no need to google directions - after taking care of Jason for several years, she had learned directions to the nearest candy shop _fast._

She called out warnings at they both crashed into the shop, a shot of worry hitting her. There was _just_  the right amount of glass in the room to make her nervous, and Jason wasn’t the most steady of kids. 

The older woman laughed, her sparkling eyes dancing across Jason and Nico’s excited figures. “I have one about his age.” She nodded towards Jason, now intensely inspecting the rows of flavored hard candy sticks. “He’s what, ten? Eleven?”

“Ten,” Thalia answered, smiling a bit. The woman had a certain motherly aura that while Thalia wasn’t very familiar with, she could appreciate. There was slight accent to her words - Spanish, maybe - that made them flow with sharp corners. 

“Two pieces each!” Thalia called out a reminder, her eyes much more strict than she actually was. Damn. She hoped neither of them turned their puppy eyes on her. It would be embarrassing to explain to Bianca how, yet again, she was so desperately weak.

They were good kids, okay? And kids deserve treats sometimes.

Thalia leaned against the wall, keeping a careful eye on them. Nico was almost smiling for real, his teeth nearly on display as he inspected the chocolate bars. 

“They yours?” The woman asked, her gaze still warm and fond on both boys.

“Ah,” Thalia and Bianca had both received this question their own fair amount. Most the time, it was just easier to play along. This time though, she shook her head. “I’m one of their guardians. It’s complicated.”

The woman only nodded in sympathy, “Trust me, I _know_ complicated.”

Thalia observed the other woman for another moment. She liked her.

“Thalia Grace.” She stunk her hand out, “The two beasts are Jason and Nico.”

She laughed, taking Thalia’s hand. “Sally Jackson. Nice to meet you.”

Thalia shoved her hands back into her jacket pockets, leaning back against the doorway. “So. You got a kid?”

A warm look came over the other woman. “Percy, he’s ten.”

Thalia nodded, her eyes moving back to where the boys were closely inspecting the options in front of them. She never was good at talking to the other parents or teachers - that was Bianca’s speciality.

She was content to just ride out the silence until the boys were done - she was a pro at awkward silences at this point - but Sally broke it.

“Maybe...maybe our kids could get together sometime?” Sally glanced over to where Jason and Nico were huddled with together. The other woman smiled, a warm motherly thing. “His name’s Percy. He’s a nice kid, just has trouble making friends sometimes.” Thalia’s gaze shifted to Nico. She was familiar with that. “And we’ve just had to switch schools and…” She sighed, “He’s a good kid, he is.”

“I get that,” Thalia’s voice was too soft. She cleared his throat. “Hey, think your kid is free next weekend?”

At that, Sally could only beam.

* * *

“We deserve this.”

“I’m not arguing.”

Bianca pointed at her, jokingly accusing. “Oh? So you’re not totally judging my wine bottle in bed?”

“Judging?” Thalia gave her a wide-eyed look, her hands up in innocence. “Sweetheart, I’m damn right _encouraging_ it.”

Bianca went pink. The air suddenly felt very hot.

There was also...that. The thing that had been shoved into the backseat during the wild ride of the past two months that was slowly rearing its head again. 

Thalia purposefully ignored the shift in the air, reaching for the bottle instead. Cheap stuff, but enough to make her chest feeling warm after only a few gulps. Good enough stuff in her opinion, then. 

“Got the kids a play date next weekend.” Thalia said after a moment, wiping off her face.

Bianca hummed, an encouragement to go on.

“The lady at the candy store - Sally Jackson - has a kid around Jason’s age, apparently. We’re meeting them at the park on Friday.”

There was a beat of silence. “You took the kids to the candy store?”

Thalia groaned. She had forgotten Bianca was trying to get them off sugar. “Just two pieces each,” she tried to reassure the other girl, “and Nico really wanted to go. And he did really good on his spelling test this week! Seventeen out of twenty.”

“Really?” Bianca sat up at that, glowing a bit. “Spelling’s his worst subject.”

“Jason’s been helping him during homework time.” Thalia grinned, fondly remembering the messy flashcards Jason had helped the younger boy write out.

There was a moment of proud silence, reveling in it.

God. Who knew that Thalia Grace, resident high school rebel, would be discussing grades and kids on a Friday night at the tender age of twenty one.

She still couldn’t give it up for anything.

Bianca suddenly dropped the bottle to her side, squeezing her eyes shut. "Shit. It's the last Wednesday of the month, isn't it?" 

Thalia let the other girl lean into her, "Yeah." he readjusted the wine bottle before it could spill onto the sheets. 

Bianca let go of the breath building up in her chest. "At least he's talking about it. That's...good."  

Thalia took the other girl’s hand, squeezing. “How’s the counseling going?”

Bianca was using a bit of her inheritance - most of it locked up tight for Nico when he would turn eighteen - for the younger boy’s counseling.

Bianca huffed out a breath, leaning her head on Thalia’s shoulder. Her hair was still bound back from her tight work braid, and Thalia longed to undo the loose curls and run her fingers through the stiff hair sprayed locks.

“He’s stopped asking me to come in with him,” Bianca muttered into her shoulder, “I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I mean, I want him to be comfortable with them, but at the same time I don’t want him to think he’s annoying me or something by having me come in.”  

Thalia hummed, letting the other girl continue.

“And they’re like, constantly asking about our dad apparently? Which, I mean, okay, but he’s there to talk about mom, right? I just don’t get it.”

"They're just trying to work through all his stuff," Thalia comforted her, tapping the other girl's leg. "This is good. He'll be able to talk about it." 

Bianca frowned, "I guess. I just - I just what's best for him, you know?" 

Thalia let out a twinkling laugh, causing the other girl to go a bit starry eyed. "Trust me," Thalia gave her a fond girl, "I know." 

* * *

The cuffs of her scrubs were soaked. Four steps into the apartment and the ends of her scrubs were nearly drenched. 

And why was _that?_

In the distance, she heard a familiar bark of a laugh, two separate sets of giggles following. The carpet squelched as she took another step.  

She had stepped out to the corner store for fifteen minutes but she should have known. Fifteen minutes was an eternity for a boy like Percy Jackson. 

"Boys," her teeth were clenched, her arms out as she came across them in the hallway. Jason was missing his shirt. Percy had - gods, she hoped it was - chocolate pudding in his hair. Nico was covered in cereal. _"What is going on?"_  

The three boys paused in their actions. Nico and Jason looked to Percy. Percy looked to her. She tried to resist the urge to throw her hands in the air. 

Percy broke out into a grin, "We had a food fight!" 

His shamelessness was what really did it, Thalia decided. 

She could hear the tub still loudly chucking out. "And the water?" 

Jason gave her an exasperated look. It was settled - he and Percy had officially been spending too much time together. "We had to get cleaned up, Thalia." 

"Right. Of course." She took a deep breath, "And this had to happen in the _apartment?"_

Percy's excitement was infectious, apparently. "Yes!" Nico was beaming. Wow. she hadn't seen that in awhile. Fuck, she was _not_ falling for it. The boys had learned early on that Nico's puppy eyes could get them out of nearly everything. 

"You guys..." she gave them a helpless shrug of her shoulders, "you guys _soaked_ the apartment." 

Percy gave her a look, "Water dries, doesn't it?" 

Thalia didn't even know how to respond to that. 

Vaguely, she thought of the time she had trashed her mom's apartment as a kid. She doesn't remember much - throwing eggs at the walls, enjoying the excitement of making a mess - but she did remember her mother's reaction. 

Scarlet Grace had not been a good mother. 

Thalia took a deep breath, her eyes fluttering shut. Softly, she heard Jason whispering about her  _angry face._ She took another moment. 

"You're right," she allowed him, throwing the plastic grocery bag to the counter. "Water dries. It'll be okay." She reached into the hallway closet, gathering the stacks of towels into her arms. Laundry was gonna be hell this week. "Grab a towel kiddies. We gotta clean this up before Bianca gets home." 

At that, both Jason and Nico went wide-eyed. They _knew._  

The boys - even Percy, with an excited exclamation of how they could turn this into a game - dropped the towels to the ground. Thalia would have to grab Jason a new shirt, and wash the food off the other boys. From here, she could see a handful of leftover spaghetti sliding down the kitchen wall. She took a deep breath, toed off her soaked through sneakers, and gave the boys a smile. 

She was going to be better at this than her mother.  

* * *

 Bianca was going to _kill_ them. 

"Found it!" Nico held up the insurance form in victory, letting a breath of relief fall from Thalia. Jason, in contrast, only pouted. 

"Thank the gods. Jason, hurry downstairs - Bianca's already been waiting for ten minutes." Thalia handed him his couch and scarf, shoving on his hat in the same movement. 

"They're just gonna tell me I have like, a thousand cavities." Jason frowned but complied. "Do I _have_ to go?" 

“Yeah, you do. Everyone has to go at one point." Thalia brushed a kiss over his temple, giving him a noogie with the same movement. He shoved her away, grinning. “See you, lightening bug. Don’t drive Bianca too crazy.”

“But a little crazy?” He questioned, shoving on his sneakers.

“There’s always room for error,” She allowed him, directing him towards the door, “Now hurry, you can't miss your appoinment.”

Jason shot her a quick grin, waving at Nico at the kitchen table, before slamming the door behind him.

Thalia spun to face the boy, her hand shoved in one pocket, and smiled. “Looks like we’re on our own for the afternoon, kiddo. Whatcha say - order in some Chinese and movies till we pass out on the couch?”

There was no immediate response from the boy - surprising considering how she knew for a fact that movies and greasy take out were some of Nico’s favorite pass times. He had written an English paper about it - it was still stuck to the fridge, albeit covered now with a few more assignments and bills.

Finally he responded, but only with a half-shrug as he stared down at the open book in front of him. Something was definitely off about him - something that hadn’t been there minutes before as they all ran around the apartment fetching the paperwork Thalia had promised to Bianca they’d had ready. His turn of mood had to have been fairly recent - within the minutes.

“Is something bothering you?” Thalia asked, pulling up the chair next to the other boy.

Nico said nothing. His math worksheet must have been fascinating. 

Maybe worded differently she’d know. Gods, Thalia had no idea what she was doing. She realized this about once, twice a day. She tried again.

“Is there something you want to talk about?”

He seemed to react a bit more positively towards that question - sitting up a bit. Thalia cocked to head to the side, showing she was listening. He started speaking.

“How come….” Nico cleared his throat, and Thalia waited patiently. Nico always needed a few more moments to collect his thoughts. She let him think, keeping her face open and relaxed.

She had cracked open a parenting book or two, okay? Bianca had insisted (what she _hadn’t_ insisted on though were the several accompanying novels Thalia had bought and hid under her side of the bed, but that was neither here nor there).

Nico seemed to have collected his words, and met Thalia’s gaze with steady eyes. After another single moment of hesitation, he rushed out his words in a long jumble of a sentence.

 _“HowcomeIdonthaveaname,”_ He rushed out, clenching his hands. Thalia gave him a gentle smile.

“Come again?”

He took a breath. Then another. And then he spoke, “How come I don’t have a name?”

Thalia cocked her head to the side, thinking over his words. After a moment, she gave him another gentle look. “Can you explain what you mean? I don’t understand.”

Nico was staring down at his clenched fists as he spoke. His voice was small - smaller then Thalia had heard in awhile. “You don’t give me a name,” he finally said, picking at the stray thread on his jeans. She had to resist the urge to bat his hands away, focusing on his words instead. “You always call Jason little names like _lightning bug_ and _JJ_ and _baby_ but….” Nico gave her a small shrug, still not meeting her eyes. “You just call me Nico.”

_Oh._

_There it was._

She...hadn’t realized. But of course, that was something he noticed - something he would pick up on. Thalia wondered how long he had been thinking about this, and hoped if she ever found out, the answer wouldn’t hurt her heart too much.

She took a small breath, “I can see why that might bother you,” She acknowledged, “That was never my intention, Nico. I’ve just called Jason those names since he was a baby - kind of like how Bianca calls you her _passerotto.”_

“Bianca calls Jason her _polpetto,”_ Nico muttered.

Thalia mentally snorted at that - Jason still had no idea, nor did he really care, what the name actually meant - only beaming when Bianca occasionally dealt out the affectionate name.

Thalia hummed, leaning in so her side was close to the younger boy’s. The contact would calm him, she knew, and it was a comfort she knew he’d never ask for.

Thalia smiled gently, her gaze soft, “Do you want me to give you a name, Nico?”

At that, Nico looked up - his gaze already hopeful as Thalia continued.  

“Or would you like to pick?”

Suddenly, Nico’s eyes lit up with excitement - there was her boy. “I can _do that?_ Pick?”

“Sure kiddo,” Thalia ran her hand through his hair, matching his grin. “Any ideas?”

His face went still with concentration as he thought carefully.

“I’m going to think about this,” He finally decided, “I’ll let you know.”

“Good,” She pressed a kiss to his forehead, smiling a bit when he squirmed. As she pulled away, she caught his chin with a soft grip, her finger tracing over his cheek. He was a skinny little thing - she’d have to talk to the pediatrician about that. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? And Bianca?”

Nico shifted out of her grip, and she let go easily. He rolled his eyes, groaning out a sarcastic _yes mom_ and Thalia had to keep herself from bursting out laughing.

Gods.

The teenage years were going to be _horrible._

Exactly one week and two days later, Nico was marching up to her with a determined glint in his eyes.

He waited patiently as she finished reading through the paperwork for the insurance - Jason’s braces were gonna be _expensive,_ even with the aid of Thalia’s work coverage.

She checked off carefully right next to the box exchanging her soul for his perfect teeth, and met the young boy’s comically heavy gaze. She recognized the look immediately.

“You’ve decided?” She asked, placing her pen down to give the boy her full attention.

He nodded solemnly, “Yes, I have.” He cleared his throat, and _damn_ did this boy had a flair for the dramatics. Maybe they should enroll him in a drama class. He continued, “I shall be known as _the Ghost King_.”

Thalia blinked. Of all the things she had been expecting…..that probably should have been on the list, honestly.

“The….Ghost King,” It did have a ring to it. She made act like she was considering it, “Can I shorten it at times?”

Nico thought it over before nodding, “Yes.”

Thalia nodded, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. “And this is the name you would like to call you, on occasion?”

Nico nodded, “Yes. It is the Best name.”

Thalia clicked her tongue. Eh, why not. If it made the kid happy. “Sounds good, Ghost King.”

Even if she’d have to explain why she was calling their eight year old a weird nickname hours later to a confused Bianca, Nico’s immediate beam and grin would be worth it.

* * *

Thalia’s phone was ringing.

She huffed out a sigh through her nose, keeping an eye on Jason as he climbed the counter to reach the box of fruit snacks.

It was nearing late. Why the hell was anyone calling her?

She managed to answer the call with minimal soap bubbles going everywhere, annoyance already seeping through her. Jason jumped off the counter, two small packets in his hands, and gave her a curious look. She rolled her eyes, shrugging, and muttered out a pissy-sounding greeting.

“Thalia?”

She paused, pushing back whatever angry remark was crawling up her throat. She hadn’t bothered to check caller I.D., and the voice on the other end was high, familiar, and slightly nervous.

“Sally?” Thalia questioned, whipping her hands on her jeans so she could readjust her cell phone closer to her ear. By the counter, Jason lit up. “It’s late, is everything okay?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Her nervous voice seemed to tell otherwise, “I know it’s late, I’m sorry, I just - I have a big favor to ask of you guys, and I know it’s late but it happened so last minute and -”

“Sal,” Thalia cut her off, “what’s up?”

Sally took a breath audible through the phone. “Can you guys watch Percy tonight? It’s just, someone called off at the grocery store and they’re calling me in and things have been kind of tight so I could use the hours, and I can totally come pick him up afterwards around four thirty if you want -”

For the second time, Thalia cut her off, already mentally adding another portion to their personal pizza night. “Sally. Of course Percy can stay the night -” Next to her, Jason pumped his fist in the air, zooming off to room to probably inform Nico of their new guest. “And don’t worry about picking him up, he can borrow some of Jason’s clothes and we’ll make sure he gets to school tomorrow. He’s at that new one downtown, right?”

Sally’s sigh of relief was watery. “Yeah, he knows the name. Thank you girls so much, I really, really owe you two.”

“Invite us over for dinner again,” Thalia offered, grinning into the phone, “I’m still daydreaming about your gazpacho.”

“Done,” Sally’s laugh sounded stronger this time, “I’ll drop him off in an hour or so?”

“Sounds good. Tell the kid we’re making personal pizza’s tonight, better come hungry.”

“You two are _angels.”_

* * *

“Her name’s Hazel.”

Thalia glanced up, papers spread out before her. She blinked at Bianca a few times. “What?”

“I -” Bianca shook her head, “Sorry, I’ve been - it’s all I can think about since I saw him and I don’t know what he wants from me, like why did he even tell me? I don’t even -”

“Bianca.” Thalia cut her off, standing. “Bianca, what are you talking about? Who?”

“My dad,” She choked out, and Thalia went still. “My dad came by the diner today and how - how does he even know where I work? I haven’t talked to him in years and he just - he just shows up and starts talking about this girl - my half-sister apparently - and I don’t know what he wants from me.”

Bianca took a moment to breathe. She began to pace the small length of their living room.

Thalia was blinking in surprise. She sat back down. Bianca started her words up again, her sentences all pushed together and lacking sense.

Later, after Bianca had gotten out all her rambling words and had finally stopped pacing a hole in their carpet, she sat down on the carpet. Thalia passed her over a cold juice box - the only drinks they had left in the fridge.

“She got taken away from her mom and she’s gonna go into foster care, apparently.” Bianca’s voice was soft. “She’s a bit younger than Nico, seven now. I...I didn’t even know about her. I’ve never met her.”

Thalia kept her gaze on the stack of bills. None of them were overdue, not like how they used to be when it was just her and Jason and the world on her back.

After a moment, Thalia spoke. “She’s going into the system?”

Bianca's words were a breath. “Yeah. That’s what he said.”

Thalia nodded. There was a long stretch of silence, only the occasional sip from Bianca’s juice box interrupting them.

Thalia sighed. “Well.” She stood, going to grab her coat. “Let’s go, I’ll call Zoe on our way to her place.”

Bianca stumbled to her feet, “What?”

“No kid’s fall into the system on my watch.” Thalia stared at her hands as she pulled on her gloves. “Zoe’s a lawyer and owes me a favor. She’ll get us Hazel. It’ll be difficult, but we might be able to get her soon.”

“I - Are you sure? I mean, should we?” Bianca gestured an arm towards their apartment. “I mean, we can hardly afford everything _right now._ And we hardly have the space for just us, let alone another kid.”

Thalia gave her a look, making her eyes wide. “What are you talking about, Bianca?” Something like a smile flickered over Thalia’s features. “Look around. We _basically_ live in a mansion.”

Probably just to humor Thalia, Bianca _did_ look around to their 800 square feet, crappy two-bedroom, one bathroom and all. Her face took on a humorless grin.

“Hey.” Thalia grabbed her elbow. “We’ll land on our feet. We always do. And we’re gonna get this poor girl into our apartment and set her up and I’ll make breakfast for dinner.”

“All you do is pour bowls of cereal.” Bianca accused her. Her eyes were looking a bit watery.

Thalia shrugged, “The boys never complain. Now let’s go, we might be able to get this done before -”

Bianca interrupted her, shoving her face into Thalia’s shoulder, shaking a bit. _“Thank you.”_ She whispered, sniffling. “I...I didn’t know how to say it.”

Thalia raised an eyebrow, pulling along the other girl. “What, that you’re shaking in your boots to adopt and co-parent another rascal with me?” Thalia grinned, “All ya gotta do is ask, babe.”

Bianca shoved her away, grinning, and pulled out her phone. She sniffled as she thumbed down her contact list, and they both ignored her shaking hands.

Thalia led her through the short walk and subway ride - their hands gripped together, Bianca sniffling every few moments, and before either of them knew it they were at a familiar apartment building, and Thalia was nodding at the familiar bellmen, and crossing the familiar carpets and climbing the familiar stairs.

And, knocking at a familiar door.

“Grace.” Zoe’s eyes were narrowed through the small crack in the door, her eyes trained on the taller of the two girls. She didn’t bother to undo the chain, staring at her  through the links. “It’s late. Some of us have day jobs. What do you want.”

All of her sentences ended in hard, harsh endings, hardly making them questions.

Ah, Zoe hadn’t changed. That was always a nice thing - Zoe’s ever constant bitch facade.

Thalia grinned, sweeping her bangs to the side, “You know that favor you owe me?”

Zoe scowled, leaning against her doorframe, still refusing to crack it open anymore. “I repaid that debt. I owe you nothing.”

“No,” Thalia corrected, “you repaid the _Vegas_ thing. But are you forgetting about Chicago?”

Zoe clenched her jaw. Her eye twitched. “I...forgot about that incident.”

“Repression, probably.” Bianca was still at Thalia’s side, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the two girls.

There was a long drawn out period of silence, Zoe glaring at Thalia through the crack in the door, Thalia smiling back. She sighed, and the door slammed close.

A moment later, before Bianca could start question, the chain was sliding free and the door swung open.

Zoe was glaring still at Thalia, in a baggy shirt to her knees and bedhead, her arms crossed with annoyance.

“Nice slippers,” Thalia could only comment, letting herself in. “Never pegged you for a teddy bear kinda gal.”

Zoe frowned, looking ready to snap back before she was interrupted.

“Sweetie…?”

They all turned towards the new voice, Zoe wincing a bit.

In a voice softer than Thalia had ever heard, she called out, “Just some friends, Phoebe. Head back to bed, I’ll be back shortly.”

Their new guest - a sleepy eyed girl with braids and silk pajamas - blinked at them a few times before doing just that, shuffling back into the bedroom. From here, they could hear the mattress screech out in protest as she flopped down on it.

“I think you lied to your girlfriend,” Thalia only shrugged, turning back to the older girl. “Because this is going to be a _long_ night.”

“Oh?” Zoe raised a challenging eyebrow, her eyes finally sliding over to seize up the other girl. Bianca straightened up with the aciton. “And I should help you why, again?”

“Her name is Hazel Levesque,” Thalia gave her a tight smile, “and as of this morning, she is a ward of the state and awaiting placement in a foster home. She’s seven years old from Harlem, Bianca’s half-sister, and _you’re_ going to help us get custody.”

Zoe clicked her tongue, her folded arms falling to her side. She trained her steel gaze on them for another moment. There was a stretch of silence as she seized them up. Finally, her voice steel, she spoke up. “She’s going into foster care?”

“If you don’t help us.”

Zoe clenched her jaw for a long moment before releasing. “Let me make some phone calls.”

“Thanks sweetums.”

* * *

It took them three days to finally set up a meeting with her.

Sally - and thank the _gods_ for Sally - took the boys, leaving Bianca to twist her hands in her lap, Thalia pacing around the apartment, as they waited for Zoe’s phone call.

 _Be ready,_ she had only instructed. And they were.

Finally, hardly noon three days later, Thalia’s phone was lighting up with an address and a time, and strict instructions to look presentable. Like they didn’t know how this went.

They dropped the boys off with Sally - a flimsy excuse in place just in case it didn’t go as planned - and they left.

Zoe was there, all prim and professional and more-than-vaguely threatening in her pencil skirt and stilettos combo. She was stone-faced and cool-voiced nearly the entire time, the only exception being when she spoke softly to Hazel herself.

Thalia stared at the little girl with wide eyes, Bianca having gone stiff the moment they entered the room as she caught sight of the young girl. Hazel, curled in a ball on the plastic chair, traced an invisible pattern on the stained table, and Thalia had to swallow around the lump in her throat.

Let it be known that there was once a point in her early life where she swore off any future with kids in it, where Thalia pledged she was immune to children and their snot nosed, sticky cheeked faces. When she could have honestly stated that she didn’t _like_ kids, and wanted _nothing_ to do with them. That was before Jason, of course, and even further before Nico.

And Hazel, of course. Who happened to be the cutest kid Thalia had ever seen in her _life._

Why did nobody warn her for these kind of things?

Biana was quiet through the entire exchange, speaking up softly only when spoken to, offering a muted greeting and goodbye but, for the most part, remained quiet, and stared at the little girl.

They had the same nose, Thalia was noticing, and the shapes of their eyes.

Thalia wondered if Bianca had noticed this, too.

Zoe spoke primly to the social worker, sliding papers and folders and files across the table with her perfectly manicured nails, submitting evidence again and again of how Thalia and Bianca would be the most clear, the most logical, the most ideal, and the most suitable choice for Hazel.

Yesterday night Bianca had returned home with a simple manilla folder, dropping it on the table for Thalia to read. Hades had signed away his parental rights for just not Hazel, but Nico as well.

Bianca hadn’t said a thing about it, but did allow Thalia’s comforting hand to rest on her back for a moment longer then usual before standing to start dinner.

The process went smoothly, thanks to Hades’s signature, Zoe’s scowl upon the legal system, and the di Angelo-Levesque shared bloodline. It went a lot smoother than most.

And in a matter of time shorter than a week, their family officially had another member.

They had consulted and informed the boys afterwards, of course. And the woman had also spend a night getting smashingly drunk on cheap cocktails at the Jackson apartment, the boys too excited for a sleepover to really care and\or notice their moms taking shots to the Lifetime movie of the week.

When they’d told Sally about their new addition, she’d only snorted out a laugh and shook her head, grinning.

“If anyone could do, it’ll be you two.” She swore, dumping another spoonful of pasta onto both of their plates. Neither of them protested.

Later, after dinner and a few bottles of wine, she’d look over, scrunching her nose. “This’ll be good for you girls. Anyways -” Sally waved her hand around, “we’ve got too much testosterone going on here. Wait a few years - puberty is going to be _horrible.”_

Thalia groaned, a few spots of wine flying out. “Don’t remind me. We’re going to have to have the _Talk_ soon.”

“Let’s round them up together, get it over in a single wave.” Sally offered, “I can grab pamphlets from planned parenthood next time I drop by.”

“You’re an angel,” Thalia and Bianca shared the statement in unison. They shared another look, clinking their glasses, and took another shot.

They deserved it, honestly. After the home inspection, several piles of paperwork, and numerous meetings with Hazel’s case worker and Zoe - they’d been weak on their feet the past few days.

All of this mess finally came to be when she and Bianca brought Hazel home. Hazel, for some odd reason, had chosen Thalia to shadow, constantly within arms reach of the older girl. The ride home from Zoe's office was long after spending a morning receiving a schedule of check in dates from Hazel's case worker and a hundred other forms and folders. Sally, the goddess, had generously volunteered to watch the boys at their apartment while they were out. 

After lugging up Hazel's few suitcases - consisting mainly of washed out clothes and a single stuffed panda doll from what she could tell - they went through a quick round of introduction for Sally and Percy before they were off. Percy waved, lighting up in excitement, before Sally pulled him away. Almost immediately, the other boy was ranting off in Spanish to his mother happily.

Now, the rest.

Jason and Nico sat on the couch, taking in the small girl from where she bend down between Bianca and hers figures. 

“Hazel -” Thalia ran a gentle hand over the little girl’s forehead. The contact seemed to calm her. “Sweetie, these are your brothers, Jason and Nico. Boys -” She gave them a stern look, “This is Hazel. She’s your little sister.”

There was a beat of silence. Nico and Jason shared a quick look.

 _“Sweet!”_ Jason fist-pumped, beaming. “I’ve always wanted a little sister!” He turned to Hazel, grinning widely. “Do you want to be Black Widow when we play Avengers? She’s the coolest, I promise! And that means we can finally play hide and seek! It gets boring fast when it’s just Nico and I, but it should be a lot more fun with three people, oh, and you can meet Percy! He’s the coolest, and sometimes he’s allowed to sleep over! You’ll totally like him.”

Hazel looked taken back, clinging to Thalia’s leg like she had been since the social worker explained the situation to her.  

“Jason,” Bianca’s rested a hand on his shoulder, “inside voice, okay?” She bit her lip, looking over at Hazel. “Are you...tired, Hazel?”

Hazel’s fists tightening from where they gripped at Thalia’s jacket. She shot Thalia a desperate look.

Thalia crouched down, meeting Hazel's flickering gaze straight on. "If you're tired, we can get you set up. You can sleep in our room, the boy's room, or on the couch." She gestured towards the still plastic covered twin mattress Bianca had picked up the day before. "Wherever you want. If not, you can unpack and take a shower. What do you want to do?" 

In response, Hazel's small hand went down to her suitcase, pulling it up. Thalia followed the movement, understanding.

"You want to unpack?" Hazel nodded. "Okay. Boys?" She gave them a meaningful look. "Do you want to show her where she can put her things?" 

Nico nodded slowly and seriously, Jason a direct contrast as he nearly jumped up in excitement. 

"We can do this," Thalia said softly, circling Bianca's elbow as they watched the boys lead Hazel off. Hazel cast one last look at Thalia, who only nodded encouragingly, before following. 

"We can do this." Bianca agreed. For once, she was sure on this. 

* * *

 They had no big, grand moment of loving each other. There wasn't a moment where Thalia realized she couldn't live without Bianca, or where they dramatically confessed their love in the rain, or sang out the other's window with a boom box. There was just soft smiles, casual touches, the ring of their shared laughter. There was just a simple shift, sometime between then and now, where Thalia's heart grew four or five sizes big enough to hold them all. And Bianca just happened to be near the middle of it all. 

Bianca must have felt the same, as they stretched out on their shitty couch together, their tired socked feet brushing together, side by side. She must have felt the same as her hand came up to brush Thalia's cheek, pushing her short hair out of her face, and leaned in for a quick, chaste peck. 

One which Thalia almost immediately went to deepen - she'd been waiting for  _years_  after all - and thanked whatever had lead them here. 

* * *

 "I can do this," Bianca was muttering under her breath, her gaze intense. "I can _do this._ " 

"Never doubted you, sweets." Bianca jumped at Thalia's entrance as she threw down her keys, toed off her sneakers. "What can you do, again?" 

Bianca looked back to the papers, products, and open laptop covering nearly every bit of space on the kitchen table. She let out a breath, letting some of the tension in her shoulders out. "I'm learning how to style Hazel's hair. It's...not going well." 

"Oh?" 

"I can't even french braid," she muttered, "hell, I can hardly braid _myself."_

Thalia had to agree with that. Most morning, Thalia did a quick simple braid down Bianca's back while she did her make up. 

Thalia gestured towards the plastic bags thrown across the table. "What's all this?" 

"I had no idea what products to get," Bianca sighed, "I asked the clerk and just bought like, one of each." 

Thalia examined the labels, "At least she'll never run out." 

"She can just take her to the salon," Thalia shrugged, "Sally said there's one down in East Harlem with decent prices." 

"I just -" Bianca bit her lip, "I want to learn, you know? I want to do this for her." 

Thalia considered that, "That makes sense."

"I know how to handle the boys. They're easy, considering Jason won't even let me touch his hair anymore and Nico doesn't care what I do. And it's important that I know how to help Hazel style her own and -" Bianca cut herself off, staring intensely at the screen. "My mom and I always did our hair together. It was _our_ thing." In her lap, a pad of paper with notes already scrawling down. 

Thalia held up her hands in surrender. "No arguments, babe." She peered over Bianca's shoulder. On her laptop was a youtube video, text across the screen clearly explaining the directions. Occasionally, a small pop up would appear with pointers. The hair stylist began showing off the intricate pattern of the model's cornrows, explaining how to care for them. Bianca's pen was scrawling across the page.

Thalia was climbing into the empty couch cushion, waving off Bianca's questioning look. "Hazel's my kid too, you know? I should know this too."

Bianca was already nodding before launching into an explanation to catch Thalia up on the technique so far. Thalia, who had cut her hair to her ears at age thirteen for the sole purpose of hating hair care, listened carefully. From what Bianca was telling her, she had a lot to catch up on. 

They watched a handful of more videos, each of the stylists promising easy results, before calling Hazel into the room. Here goes nothing. 

The next day, Hazel was beaming as she went into school, chunky braids swinging down to her shoulders. 

* * *

 “Does Hazel not like me?” Jason asked softly one rare evening on their own. Bianca had run for the weekly groceries, usually an activity she and Nico shared, but Hazel had tagged along. The little girl seemed to always be in Nico’s shadow, these days.

Thalia set down her knife, her hand coming to turn down her music. Jason’s voice had been small and quiet, a note hardly heard from the loud, overexcited boy.

She turned towards her brother, a frown on her face. “What makes you think that?”

Jason shifted his weight as he kept his eyes trained on his open textbook. “I dunno,” he mumbled, “she just likes Nico more. She never talks to me. When we play games she just...I don’t know.” He shrugged, still looking down on the table, “I don’t think she likes me.”

“She’s shy, baby.” Thalia smoothed his hair back, “She’s been through a lot, she’s still adjusting. And Nico’s...quiet. I think she needs that right now. Just give it some time, she’ll warm up to you.”

Jason leaned into her touch, like he always had. Thalia vaguely if one day, he’d stop. That’d break her heart.

“Do you think she’ll ever like me?” Jason asked in a quiet, almost whisper level, voice.

Thalia bend down to brush a dry kiss over his temple. “It’s impossible not to.”

Thalia would know. She had tried to hate baby Jason at first, when she was an angry pre-teen realizing that she would have to be the one to take care of the smelly, drooling mess of a baby. When she was pissed she had to quit art club to pick him up from daycare, and put her meager savings completely towards him. She had tried.

But it was hard, for her at least. Because Jason was as happy as a baby as he was as a ten year old - giggling, laughing, screeching with happiness whenever she came to pick him up. Her self-proclaimed stone heart didn’t last very long in the face of his wide blue eyes, gummy smile.

“Give her time,” Thalia only repeated, running her hand through his hair, turning back to their dinner. “She’ll love you, I promise.”

Jason took the words to heart, nodding, and turned back to his textbook. From over the pot of instant macaroni, Thalia watched him with worried eyes, always.

Two weeks later, when Nico was at a dentist appointment with Bianca, Thalia walked into the living room and there, with coloring books spread across the coffee table, was Hazel and Jason, quietly coloring together, only the soft sound of wax against paper interrupting it at all.

When she walked in and paused, Jason looked up and beamed.

* * *

The first time Hazel brought home a family portrait, drawn crudely in a mixture of waxy crayon and bleeding markers, all their faces crookedly grinning, Bianca cried as she hung it on the fridge.

* * *

They didn’t say they loved each other. But they said other things, things like -

_“I’m making your favorite for dinner tonight,”_

and _“I’ll deal with the puking kid this time,”_

or _“You can sleep in while I make breakfast,”_

and even -

“Do you want to adopt Nico?”

Thalia paused at an instant, her pen scribbling to a stop. The breath left her in an instant, and she looked over. Bianca was very firmly staring at the open book in her hands.

The other girl swallowed, her hands tightening on the cover, “And Hazel, of course.”

“Why…” Thalia cleared her throat, “Why now?”

Bianca flipped a page that she hadn’t read. “The anniversary is coming up.” She said, “It’ll have a year. So much has happened this year but -” Bianca cut herself off, steadying herself.

Thalia had never felt like there wasn’t enough air in the world, not like this. She kept silent.

Finally - finally - Bianca looked up to her, and she was blinking away the wetness there. “You’re the only other one in the world I want taking care of them.”

And there it was.

In a moment, she thought of Bianca crouched over the kitchen table as she went through Jason’s pre-algebra homework with him, and her sitting beside Thalia with a kid on both side of them at Jason’s pewee football games, Bianca making dinner enough for five and taking the onions out for Nico’s taste, Bianca learning how to braid Hazel’s curls, Bianca brushing her lips over Jason’s newly bandaged knees, Bianca being there, beside her, through all of it.

She thought all of this in a moment, and it was gone.

And Thalia was crying.

“Yes,” She breathed out, stumbling across the room to where Bianca was sitting. Her notebook fell into a flurry of papers to the ground, and Thalia was kneeling in front of the other girl, burying her face into the girl’s neck.

“I’ve been so terrified all these years of what would happen to Jason if something happens to me,” Thalia would confess hours later, her head pillowed on Bianca’s chest. “I would stay up late most nights, just worrying. I couldn’t - just the thought of him, on his own, like - like I was, it would drive me sick.”

This was more confessing then Thalia had ever done in the years of Catholic school her mother had forced her into.

Bianca’s hands tightened around her shoulders, and her voice was small as she whispered, “You’re not alone anymore.”

And she wasn’t.

* * *

Within three months, Thalia Grace and Bianca di Angelo were the joint, legal guardians of Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo, and Hazel Levesque.

They lived in a shitty apartment in Queens, where Jason’s once sole room now held a bunkbed and twin, too many toys, stickers, and hidden candy stashes that both adults pretended not to know about.

Bianca handmade their Halloween costumes.

Thalia picked them up from school everyday.

Bianca and Thalia would hold hands over dinner and listen to their kids stories of the day, always nodding and laughing and making them eat with their silverware.

Sometimes, Hazel would get too quiet about what she needed, and Nico got dark and snappy at weird times, and Jason and that Percy were more than often running into trouble.

But they were a family, shitty apartment and all.

And hey, apartment shopping couldn’t be that hard, right?

**Author's Note:**

> sigh. i love this fic so much. i had so much fun writing it.  
> this is the first of three in the series, as well as one additional fic of extra scenes I couldn't fit anywhere else. subscribe to keep tuned - this story isn't over yet :) the second will be focused on thalia and bianca's relationship, middle school drama, and two surprise characters :) any guesses? the third will be high school and won't THAT be a wild ride with all these dramatic kids  
> i stand by my characterization that percy jackson was a demon child.  
> follow me on tumblr at rosyredlipstick for quick aus and rambles about my ocs.


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